Expert Match Project Examples

In the NREL-managed Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program, Expert Match projects often center on answering specific questions related to a community's energy goals and challenges, including resilience, equity, and financing.

Some examples of project topics and central questions are below.

General Clean Energy

With clean energy goals in mind, what are some best practices to consider around zoning and permitting for our community?
What is our community's potential for using low-temperature geothermal power generation? Could we create geothermal districts?
What are some agrivoltaic opportunities for our farming community?
What energy storage solutions could work with our legislation and fire code?

Resilience and Equity

We want to increase access to clean energy and improve energy efficiency for low-income neighborhoods. What strategies would work in this situation?
We need expert input as we design resilience hubs in our community.
What is the potential role of solar plus storage in providing resilience benefits to the community?
We need support in explaining our clean energy goals in language relevant to people in our community. How will our plan improve resilience, create jobs, and boost economic development?

Financing

We want to improve resilience for our key community buildings but need help figuring out financing. Are there best practices for engaging potential funders?

Buildings

Retrofitting buildings is an important step in our clean energy transition, but it's a heavy lift with a lot of uncertainties. Where could we start? What strategies have worked in other towns or cities like ours?
What are the key components of a building energy benchmarking program? Are there any best practices we can refer to?

Transportation

We are looking to transition our municipal fleet and are looking for expert input on the cost and emissions savings opportunities across the fleet.
What are some clean public transit and micromobility options that can meet community transportation needs?
How could we begin to plan for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in our community?
How could we set goals for EV deployment? What are some considerations to be aware of regarding equitable EV deployment? What have similar communities done?
How can we ensure our plan for electric vehicle supply equipment deployment will lead to equitable outcomes in terms of charging and accessibility?
How could we estimate upfront electric vehicle supply equipment or EV costs and air-quality impacts based on different parameters in different areas?